DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.683#0157
139
The success of the British arms in Egypt, and the expected
restitution of that province to the Porte, wrought a wonderful
and instantaneous change in the disposition of all ranks and
descriptions of people towards our nation. Universal bene-
volence and good-will appeared to take place of suspicion and
aversion. Nothing was refused which was asked; and Lord
Elgin, availing himself of this favourable and unexpected
alteration, obtained, in the summer of 1801, access to the
Acropolis for general purposes, with permission to draw,
model, and remove; to which was added, a special licence to
excavate in a particular place. Lord Elgin mentions in his
evidence, that he was obliged to send from Athens to Con-
stantinople for leave to remove a house ; at the same time re-
marking that, in point of fact, all permissions issuing from
the Porte to any distant provinces, are little better than au-
thorities to make the best bargain that can be made with the
local magistracies. The applications upon this subject
passed in verbal conversations: but the warrants or fermauns
were granted in writing, addressed to the chief authorities
resident at Athens, to whom they were delivered, and in
whose hands they remained: so that your Committee had no
opportunity of learning from Lord Elgin himself their exact
tenor, or of ascertaining in what terms they noticed, or al-
lowed, the displacing or carrying away of these marbles.
But Dr. Hunt, who accompanied Lord Elgin as chaplain to
the embassy, has preserved, and has now in his possession, a
translation of the second fermaun, which extended the powers
of the first; but as he had it not with him in London, to pro-
duce before your Committee, he stated the substance, ac-
cording to his recollection, which was " That, in order to
" show their particular respect to the ambassador of Great
" Britain, the august ally of the Porte, with whom they were
P now and had long been in the strictest alliance, they gave
The success of the British arms in Egypt, and the expected
restitution of that province to the Porte, wrought a wonderful
and instantaneous change in the disposition of all ranks and
descriptions of people towards our nation. Universal bene-
volence and good-will appeared to take place of suspicion and
aversion. Nothing was refused which was asked; and Lord
Elgin, availing himself of this favourable and unexpected
alteration, obtained, in the summer of 1801, access to the
Acropolis for general purposes, with permission to draw,
model, and remove; to which was added, a special licence to
excavate in a particular place. Lord Elgin mentions in his
evidence, that he was obliged to send from Athens to Con-
stantinople for leave to remove a house ; at the same time re-
marking that, in point of fact, all permissions issuing from
the Porte to any distant provinces, are little better than au-
thorities to make the best bargain that can be made with the
local magistracies. The applications upon this subject
passed in verbal conversations: but the warrants or fermauns
were granted in writing, addressed to the chief authorities
resident at Athens, to whom they were delivered, and in
whose hands they remained: so that your Committee had no
opportunity of learning from Lord Elgin himself their exact
tenor, or of ascertaining in what terms they noticed, or al-
lowed, the displacing or carrying away of these marbles.
But Dr. Hunt, who accompanied Lord Elgin as chaplain to
the embassy, has preserved, and has now in his possession, a
translation of the second fermaun, which extended the powers
of the first; but as he had it not with him in London, to pro-
duce before your Committee, he stated the substance, ac-
cording to his recollection, which was " That, in order to
" show their particular respect to the ambassador of Great
" Britain, the august ally of the Porte, with whom they were
P now and had long been in the strictest alliance, they gave